Sauntering

“People ought to saunter… Do you know the origin of that word ‘saunter?’ It’s a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked were they were going, they would reply, ‘A la sainte terre,’ ‘To the Holy Land.’ And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers.” John Muir

I (Michael) like John Muir’s quote not only because I learned about the origin of a word and its tie to the Holy Land, but more importantly, because it encourages a contemplative state of mind. This is easier for me to say than to put into practice. I appreciate contemplation but still find it challenging to live in the present, since I’m accomplishment-oriented and always ready for a new adventure.

Given the time and effort to come the Holy Land, most people want to maximize their experience. I tend to translate this to going to the next site when I have some free time. After all, B.J. and I only have 3 months here. It’s fun to have these experiences, but over time they tend to blur together. I’ve come to realize that a better “maximize the experience” option is contemplative sauntering.

There are numerous saunterers in Jerusalem who provide great examples for me. You can walk across the Old City in 20 minutes and see people worshiping, praying, singing, and sometimes dancing before God. A recent eastern European pilgrim group stayed at Ecce Homo. Instead of being the first ones to breakfast because of their itinerary, this group came to breakfast after attending morning Mass. On two consecutive days, they had a community Bible study and prayer time for about an hour before heading out to holy sites. I initially caught myself thinking they could be experiencing so much more of Jerusalem when, in fact, they likely were being incredibly blessed by pondering scripture and praying.

There are plenty of opportunities to saunter across the Holy Land. We recently visited Capernaum and came upon this contemplative opportunity on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

Recent experiences about sauntering go beyond contemplating at special sites. The five Sisters of Sion who live here at Ecce Homo have introduced us to Entry into Sunday. It’s a simple Saturday evening practice which is based on a scripture selection from the next day’s (Sunday) liturgy.

A different sister facilitates Entry into Sunday each week. It includes lighting a candle, singing a hymn, reading the selected scripture, spending a few minutes in contemplative thought, discussing  thoughts about the passage, and closing in prayer. Afterward, we have dinner together at the sisters’ table. In addition to being a pleasant Saturday evening of community, it enriches my Sunday worship. I’m a slow learner, but sauntering is truly the way to “maximize the experience.”